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Elbi

A new app co-founded by supermodel Natalia Vodianova puts individuals together with brands and charities to make philanthropy possible at the tap of a screen.

She’s got a lot of clout and a big heart, so Natalia Vodianova was well placed to create an innovative new philanthropic platform. Add in her co-founder, trendminer and generator of cost-effective solutions for global change, Timon Afinsky, and Elbi was bound to succeed.

It is certainly creating a stir. Since launching in January, the app has been Apple’s “App Of The Day” in 68 countries, including the USA, Canada, India, France, Spain and Australia, and it has been covered in every major publication across the world.

It works like this. Users swipe through short videos representing each of Elbi’s supported charitable causes.

The content includes stories like the ones of Mamie from Congo who needs school supplies in order to get an education; Ceyda from the UK who has cerebral palsy and needs a special joystick in order to use a computer; and Jessie the dog who was recently rewarded a home thanks to Elbi’s support of the National Animal Welfare Trust.

When a story strikes a chord, users can tap the heart-shaped icon at the bottom of the page and donate immediately. Users are also encouraged to advance the causes they care about by sharing the videos with their friends.

Vodianova and Afinsky simply hope that the app will encourage people to forego some of the time they spend on social media and some of the money they spend on yet another latte and do some serious good instead.

The Elbi team says: “The same way technology has forever changed the way we order food, call cabs and make restaurant reservations, we aim to use modern technology to remove barriers that exist in charitable giving.